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Centre Approves 25% Increase in Security at Central Government Hospitals Amid Nationwide Protests

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In response to widespread protests by doctors demanding better protection following the tragic rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, the central government has approved a 25% increase in security at all central government hospitals. The decision, announced by the health ministry, comes amid calls for a special law to combat violence against healthcare personnel. The enhanced security will include the deployment of marshals, which can be requested by hospitals based on individual security assessments. Officials noted that while the protests highlight safety concerns, enacting a central law solely based on the RG Kar incident might not be the solution, as the case did not involve patient-doctor violence. Currently, 26 states and Union territories, including West Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala, have laws that protect healthcare workers from violence, making such offenses cognizable and non-bailable. Officials emphasized that these existing laws already cover key aspects of protection for healthcare personnel. To address additional concerns, the government plans to form a committee headed by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to review hospital security, working conditions for resident doctors, and related facilities such as duty rooms and canteens. Public hospitals, as government facilities, cannot be turned into heavily guarded zones, officials stated while urging doctors to end their strike, which has severely impacted patient care. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking intervention to address their demands, which include the enactment of a central law against violence in hospitals and the designation of hospitals as safe zones with mandatory security measures. Source: Hindustan Times

‘No Safety, No Duty’: OPD Services Hit by Nationwide Doctors’ Protest

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Doctors across India have halted work, except for emergency procedures, in a nationwide protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protests have severely impacted outpatient department (OPD) services across the country, with healthcare workers demanding stricter security measures. The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) announced a pause in elective services, describing the incident as a “travesty” in the history of the resident doctor community. In a letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, FORDA demanded the resignation of officials responsible for failing to protect the doctor and assurances that protesting doctors will not face manhandling. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) also sent a letter to Health Minister Nadda, urging the enactment of a central law to curb attacks on doctors and declaring hospitals as safe zones. Although 25 states have laws to prevent violence against doctors, the IMA noted that these are often ineffective. The association emphasized the need for a special central law to act as a deterrent. In response to the protests, treatment at hospitals in Kolkata and across the country has been disrupted. Patients and their relatives have expressed frustration over the inconvenience caused by the strike. In Lucknow, doctors at King George’s Medical University marched to the OPD to stop work, leading to patients demanding treatment by banging on the OPD’s shut doors. In Mumbai, doctors from prominent hospitals, including JJ Hospital, Sion Hospital, Nair Hospital, and King Edward Memorial Hospital, joined the protest. At AIIMS Delhi, daily surgeries have dropped by 80% and admissions by 35% due to the indefinite strike. AIIMS authorities have issued a circular urging doctors to return to work, citing a High Court order prohibiting protests on hospital premises. A civic volunteer who frequently visited the hospital has been arrested in connection with the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder. West Bengal’s Chief Minister has given the city police a deadline to complete the investigation, after which the state government may recommend a CBI probe.

Gujarat Government Announces Rollback of Decision to Increase MBBS Fee in Medical Colleges, Details Here

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The Gujarat government has announced a rollback of its recent decision to significantly increase fees for MBBS courses in medical colleges run by the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS). This move comes in response to widespread protests across the state against the steep fee hike. State government spokesperson and health minister Rushikesh Patel made the announcement, assuring that a new circular with revised fees for the 13 GMERS medical colleges will be issued soon. Speaking to media persons in Gandhinagar, Patel emphasized that the government is committed to making decisions in the best interests of students and urged families to remain calm as they work on providing fee benefits through various schemes. The rollback decision follows intense pressure from multiple quarters, including students, parents’ associations, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and political opposition. The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) had taken a strong stance against the fee hike, with state Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil threatening protests at all levels if the increase was not reversed. The original fee hike, announced on June 28, had raised annual fees for state and all-India quota seats by 66% from ₹3.3 lakh to ₹5.5 lakh. Management quota fees saw an even steeper increase of 87%, from ₹9.07 lakh to ₹17 lakh, while NRI quota fees were bumped up by 13% from $22,000 to $25,000 per annum. Critics argued that such substantial increases contradicted GMERS’s original mission of providing affordable medical education and strengthening Gujarat’s healthcare sector. The IMA’s Gujarat chapter had written to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, expressing concern that the fee hike would make medical education nearly impossible for poor and middle-class students. GMERS, established 14 years ago, operates 13 medical colleges across the state with a total of 2,100 seats. Of these, 75% are reserved for the state quota, 10% for the management quota, and 15% for the NRI quota, with 75 seats allocated to the all-India quota. This is not the first time GMERS has faced backlash over fee increases. In 2023, a similar hike was retracted following protests.